English as a Second Language at Somerset House

This winter Somerset House presents Hanna Moon & Joyce Ng: English As A Second Language, a new photography exhibition celebrating the work of two of the most exciting photographers working in fashion today. This combined exhibition celebrates the vitality and importance of fresh perspectives within fashion photography in our globalised and interconnected world.

Employing an otherworldly and playful approach to their practice, Hanna Moon and Joyce Ng incorporate cultural signifiers, set design, and fashion to present their unique take on Western aesthetics and fashion ideals. Bringing distinct Asian perspectives to their work, they challenge the concept of ‘otherness’ and reflect upon the power fashion photography holds in shaping our perceptions of beauty, style, and taste.

Curated by Shonagh Marshall, the exhibition explores the artists’ feelings of being ‘lost in translation’, a feeling which; as artists living in a foreign city, navigating different languages and shifting landscapes, informs Moon and Ng’s search for capturing beauty in the often overlooked and unseen narratives in our everyday lives. For English as a Second Language, Metro Imaging has worked with the artists and curators to produce a selection of the works as archival digital C-type prints which were then mounted to aluminium. Moon and Ng have created two new series of photography works, responding directly to the historical setting of Somerset House.

The exhibition also invites you to explore works from Moon and Ng’s fashion photography archive over the past four years, featuring work from leading publications such as Dazed, i-D, Modern Weekly, Centrefold, Re-Edition, M Le Magazine du Monde, Modern Matter, 1 Granary and David Casavant Archive Book.

HANNA MOON & JOYCE NG: ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE is exhibited as part of The Charles Russell Speechlys Terrace Room Series,

VENUE: Charles Russell Speechlys Terrace Room, Somerset House, London

ADMIN: Free

DATES: 25 Jan – 28 Apr 2019

Mon, Tue, Sat & Sun 10.00 – 18.00, Wed – Fri 11.00 – 20.00